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The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, which champions the innovators who best changed the state and nation for the better, already boasts among its ranks a pair of members affiliated with the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition. But this fall, it will enshrine two more.

The hall announced Wednesday that IHMC co-founder and CEO Ken Ford, as well as Dwayne McCay, a member of the institute's scientific advisory board, will be inducted in September in Tampa as part of this year's class. The men will join William Dalton, the institute's board chair and a member of the 2016 class, and Jerry Pratt, senior research scientist at IHMC and a member of the 2015 class.

"I think the primary emotion is feeling honored to be included in such an august group of well-known inventors," Ford said. Including this year's inductees, the hall features 28 members, including inventors Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

While clearly proud to receive the distinction, Ford quickly heaped praise on the scientists and other colleagues he has worked with throughout his tenure at IHMC. And as the institute continues to inch forward on developments in robotics, artificial intelligence and the human condition, Ford predicted even more technological victories are in store.

"We like being the David that slays the proverbial Goliath," he said.

Although progress evolves incrementally, Ford expects the institute to continue to bridge the relationship between humans and robotics.

"The limitation on the kinds of ways that robots and humans may work together effectively is limited only by our imagination," he said, noting how robots act as an extension to mankind's curiosity, whether that involves the rovers on Mars or one day programming autonomous drones to survey disaster sites too dangerous for humans.

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Ken Ford, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, stands for a photo on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.(Photo: Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com)

Earlier this month, Fries and his team conducted test runs on Bayou Texar and Bayou Chico with an autonomous vehicle that employed sonar to map out the dimensions of the estuaries and an underwater mass spectrometer to collect data on the waters' quality. Once perfected, the technology could allow the city, county and public to access up-to-date information on local waterways and aquatic ecosystems.

"What we’re doing on this is trying to ultimately create what’s an automated measurement and automated cognition of the water so that the water itself has the ability to report back to us what its state is," said Fries, who anticipates further demonstrations with more drones in about a month.

Fries also plans to deploy artificial reefs, shaped similarly to spiderwebs, into local waters, with the first one launching in less than a month. He plans to equip the contraptions with sensor technology with a goal of ultimately creating a tool that could grow filter feeders to clean the water, sense water for its cleanliness and protect fish habitats. Ford said the focus on waterways could substantially impact the region.

"It’s always a concern," he said. "Much of the economy and why people like to live in this area have to do with the Gulf of Mexico, the bay and our bayous."

Another area of growth involves work with exoskeletons. Led by Peter Neuhaus, a senior research scientist at IHMC, the institute placed second at a first-of-its-kind competition for disabled athletes in Zurich, Switzerland, in October. At the tournament, Mark Daniel, a Pace High School graduate and paraplegic, wore an exoskeleton developed by Neuhaus. Controlled by a joystick, the exoskeleton allowed Daniel to navigate a series of obstacles with the aid of crutches.

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Ken Ford, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, will be inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame this fall.(Photo: Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com)

Neuhaus said future challenges include adding more capabilities to the exoskeleton, such as more ways the user can move or artificial intelligence to aid in automation, but without encumbering the robot's user interface. In addition to aiding those with injuries or disorders, Neuhaus envisions exoskeletons assisting those employed in labor-intensive vocations or older generations of retirees.

Ford expects Neuhaus' work to play a pivotal role in the future of exoskeletons, which he asserted should continue to boost humans' potential.